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There are electrical multiplexers as mentioned, however there are also many types of mechanical multiplexers. The idea behind this is to use fever motors to do more.
The advantage is the reduced weight and the disadvantage is the increased complexity and lower flexibility.
For example, you can control both tracks with one motor. However instead of one motor ...

LEGO has made it possible to download a stand-alone installer for NXT-G 2.0. It's compatible with both Mac and Windows.
Alternatively, you can download a disc image of the NXT-G 2.0 CD. The link contains instructions on how to use it (as it isn't as easy as downloading just an installer).

First off, there is not going to be an NXT 3.0. If there is, I would be extremely surprised.
This rumor was started back on April 1st, 2010 with a post on this blog (scroll to the bottom). Since then, many of people have been tricked. They even made another post the day afterward confessing that it was fake. Despite this, the rumor traveled to people who ...

The programming interface used by LEGO creates programs which make use of the standard firmware, that is, the one provided by LEGO.
If you look at alternatives (see also this answer for more information), you'll notice that quite a lot of them use the same firmware.
This means that the programs they produce use the same language which is interpreted by the ...

RCX has 3 motor and 3 sensor ports. NXT has 3 motor and 4 sensor
ports.
The NXT has encoders integrated in its motors so that they can be used as servos. On the RCX you would need an additional rotation sensor on a sensor port to do that.
RCX uses regular 9V connectors (2x2 with metal in studs). NXT uses RJ12 connectors with the latch offset to one side.
...

Yes.
The current Mindstorms sets are completely Technic orientated and use the Technic pins (i.e. [part:3673:7]) to connect to the newer Technic Beams (i.e. [part:32316:7]) as well as the original Technic Bricks (i.e. [part:3894:7])
The various different size pins and axles are the way to interchange between these.

As a software engineer, you would probably be more at home in NXC, a C-like language compatible with the standard firmware. You can then use BatteryLevel().
If you want to use the standard programming environment, use this custom block.

There are a few subtle differences in internal hardware between the NXT 1.0 and 2.0 bricks. The most notable one is that the 1.0's screen would give out over time due to stress being put on a capacitor when the buttons are pressed, but the NXT 2.0 is engineered such that this does not occur. But, none of these differences affect what hardware the bricks are ...

The LEGO Group have advertised the EV3's excellent backwards compatibility with NXT.
As the cables are the same, the EV3 will work with NXT sensors, motors and, of course, LEGO Technic bricks. RCX sensors will work with the aid of converter cables.
Software designed for programming the NXT will not work for the EV3 as the NXT runs firmware, but the EV3 ...

As stated in the description of that video, the big issue is that the iPhone won't pair with uncertified devices:
The car is built with standard Lego Mindstorms NXT components. Since iPhone SDK does NOT allow using non certified devices (which are limited to other iPhones and some headsets etc.) I have used BTStack library.
I guess this is why there's ...

You can start with the Hardware Developer Kit which includes "documentation and schematics for the NXT and related sensors", supplied by The LEGO group to help you "design and develop your own sensors and actuators [motors] that can interact with the NXT".
I've not really looked at the latest ones, but the original O'Reilly Unofficial Guide to LEGO ...

LEGO used to sell Converter Cables for Mindstorms NXT at a price of £8.99 / US$9.99 for 3 cables at their online shop, they can still be bought online from stores like Bricklink.
Considering the price of each cable converter it may be worth purchasing newer sensors/motors that are more advanced. The NXT system cables are separate from sensors and motors ...

There are alternate text-based programming languages for the NXT. Three of the most popular ones are NXC/NBC, LeJOS NXJ, and RobotC. There are many more, all with their pros and cons, and are much more versatile than NXT-G, even on slow computers. I my personal favorite is NXC/NBC. But really it's up to you. The best way to see what suits your needs is to ...

Yes, it is possible to check the battery level. I am a software engineer, too and i have already done that in different environments (leJOS, NXC).
It is not charged. It uses standard AA batteries. There is a really handy rechargable battery pack, though.
A recharging-station could probably be built with this, but it might be quite tricky to do. As far as I ...

Mindsensors sells third-party parts that are compatible with the NXT. They sell several motor drivers and multiplexors, for use with NXT motors, RCX motors, hobbyist servo motors, or by sending commands to a PF motor remote control receiver.
HiTechnic is another such company, and they likewise make a device that sends remote control signals for PF and ...

Yes, this is definitely possible! You can connect up to 7 different NXT devices from one computer and one Bluetooth dongle (theoretical limit). I have tested this with the RWTH - Mindstorms NXT Toolbox for MATLAB) successfully with 5 NXTs on Linux and with at least 2 NXTs on Windows.
In real life, it depends on your Bluetooth hardware. Your Bluetooth stack ...

Short answer: The ultrasonic sensor is perfectly accurate while moving!
A regular NXT robot will move at a maximum speed of several meters per second (usually about 1 or 2 m/s max.). Ultrasound, on the other hand, travels with about 330 meters per second through air. So during the "snapshot" the ultrasound sensor does (basically it sends a ping, listens for ...

There are two non-wireless ways that I know of.
One of them, (which is better most likely) is to use a Mindsensors Motor Multiplexer (Motor MUX for short), which allows the use of all motor functions and splits one port into several. Note that each multiplexer requires an additional battery box, making your robot heavier and less compact. Each multiplexer ...

The majority of sensors manufactured by HiTechnic (a third party company) are certified by The Lego Group. The company's website lists the following criteria required to be certified:
100% compatible with Mindstorms NXT
Meet the highest LEGO quality standards
Comply with all safety standards
RoHs Compliant (certified lead free)
These ...

Here are the two easiest options:
1: Repair it. If you have a soldering kit, then get it out, and follow the instructions in this video. It worked for me the first try.
2: Replace it. Contact LEGO, and tell them of your problem. I've hear many success stories from people who did this, and LEGO replacing it for free. For one person, it took a week to ...

Yes, you can use all RCX sensors and motors with a NXT brick. Don't forget about lamps, too.
The connections are different though, so as Ambo100 says, you will need converter cables. However, if you don't want to pay the full price for them, you can also make some yourself which isn't really that difficult.
The other thing you need to consider is how to ...

The robot in the video has a custom light sensor, a more advanced HiTechnic color sensor V2 which can detect an extended range of 15 colours. The stand colour sensor can detect six (white, black, red, blue, green and yellow).
The sensors are based on different principles. LEGO sensor uses a RGB
LED, and successively shines red, green and blue light ...

I think that all you might need is the Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio. The examples that I could find all refer to C#, VB.Net, or the included VPL languages but there isn't any reason you wouldn't be able to reference the same objects from managed C++.
It does look like there might not be a full set of services for all of the more recent parts judging ...

You can't calibrate the motors, neither mechanically or in software. There is however several methods in the software to account for this.
The standard NXT firmware contains a synchronization mode which attempt to keep the two motors aligned. In NXC you can do this by using the function OnFwdSync like this:
OnFwdSync( OUT_AC, 75, 0 );
First parameter is the ...

Using Mindstorms NXT software (NXT-G), you can transfer any file from NXT to computer. Open "NXT window" (NXT icon in the lower right corner of interface), then go to "memory" tab. Select a file in NXT and click on "upload" button.
Or - more convenient - you may use "NXT Explorer" feature of BricxCC (in the "tools" menu).

It doesn't seem to be possible. To quote mindsqualls' site:
MindSqualls is a .Net library for controlling a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT or NXT 2.0 robot via either a Bluetooth- or an USB connection. It is written in C# and requires .Net v. 2.0 or newer.
Which means it allows you to control your NXT brick from the PC, and from the PC only. It does not offer any ...

The NXT can, with the use of an adapter cable, use the RCX sensors and motors, however the RCX can not use the NXT sensors and motors.
The NXT brick, motors and sensors are larger than the RCX counterparts which makes them harder to implement into a size constrained construction. However as said, you can use the RCX motors/sensors instead with the NXT brick ...